Never use language or display pictures of a vulgar or intimate nature on your networking site.

Always take advantage of privacy settings, but be aware that these settings may be accessed.

Be aware that others may be posting information about you on their social networking sites.

Never email or text patients or family members unless it is part of your job description.

Know that information on a social media site exists forever in cyberspace.

Think before you post.

In response to the dramatic increase in the number of RNs who are disciplined for issues involving posts on social networking sites, the MNA’s Board of Directors recently approved its “10 Professional Recommendations for Electronic Communication.” The list was originally developed by the MNA’s Congress on Nursing Practice and is based on best-in-class research that is available on the issue—as well as the firsthand experiences of many MNA nurses and the labor staff who represent them.

Sources:

“ANA’s Principles for Social networking and the nurse” The American Nurses Association, Inc., 2012